Russian Orloffs

[desertmarcy]

3/4 crosses with any Ameraucana cross could actually benefit your laying abilities so long as they still resemble Orloffs. The shank color will be a big deal to watch but... I have a cross here who is Marans crossed with Orloff and her beard is so nice and her coloring interesting enough that she got to stay despite any other cross leaving.

Congrats Kahlua!

As far as temperament goes even the information on them states very clearly they are very calm despite their 'raptor' like appearance and so far that is true here. I have seen them living with several roosters of their kind without issues and I also find that they are docile.

I tried taking pictures of One Eyed Jack again but he just won't pose. This is him trying to skulk by me (very bad posture here, like "Orloff limbo") and this is the side his 'bad' eye is on. You can also see clearly his white primaries. I keep reading conflicting information about whether or not these are going to be acceptable or if I should breed them out. He seems to have gotten over his depression at having left his cockerel buddy from the other farm and is now socializing more with the hens and pullets I have him in with. Just a reminder, I chose him because of his type, though he isn't flaunting it in these pics. He is the largest Orloff I have seen so far and I want to make sure I am not losing size as so many Orloffs are small in comparison. Being meant to be a dual purpose bird I want to make sure I see LARGE fowl sizes in my LF Orloffs

In my experience, Ameraucana crosses (Easter-Eggers) have not been the best of layers and the Ameraucana hens I have (I only have 2) are small in size, so I don't really think having that blood in my Orloff stock is the thing to do. I don't need any more mixed breed layers. Also, looking at the German Orloff standard, I was surprised that it only listed weight as approx. 7 pounds for cocks and 5 pounds for hens. White primaries is one of the things I look at when trying to decide which to keep for breeding stock. I do have some with it, but am aiming to breed it out.

Oh, and that dang Orloff/Ameraucana cross that is laying the tan egg? Two days in a row now, tan egg--on the ground, not in nest box---laid sneakily without me seeing to figure out which bird it is

 

[Sarplaninec]

Hello Everyone,
I have a Cuckoo colored Russian Orloff Rooster cross for sale. He was born in the summer of 2012 so he is still growing. I believe someone can use him for project Cuckoo breeding. Anyone interested please email me at [email protected] for more information and photos.

Beck
New York

 

[ashandvine]

Marcy my Ams are good layers so I guess I was thinking that they would improve the Orloff's laying. sorry if it was a bother.

Someone has cuckoo Orloffs here in the US. I tried begging for some eggs but they weren't sharing.

I don't rely on just the German standard for what I am breeding to. This will be the first year of intentionally trying to do something with my Orloffs. Size/type and eggs are hardest to get so I am starting with that. I want my Orloff cocks to weigh about 7-8 pounds. I feel like the dual part of their purpose has gone out of them. I don't get many eggs and the birds are not meaty. Now, maybe our concept of a meaty bird has changed too. It used to be that any old bird could be eaten and so long as it wasn't a tiny bantam then it could be dual purpose. I have spotty egg laying from my Orloffs as well. They won't and shouldn't be competing with hatchery egg layers so maybe its my concept of what they should be that needs to change.

 

[desertmarcy]

My first year Orloffs were good layers, I thought. But my next generation has not been good. I am wondering if it has to do with the hatch date. My first ones were hatched 6/24. They laid well all last winter. The ones I hatched from them were hatched Jan-Feb. I just can't figure it out. Someone replied to my thread about the Orloff/Ameraucana crosses I did last year and said he was going to try crossing them to an Ohio Buckeye to increase size and eggs. I don't know chicken color genetics, so I don't know if that is a good idea or not.

 

[BlackPanther]

Have any of you had hatchery Orloffs go broody?

 

[ashandvine]

I have not. Even when all my Ams were going broody at the same time the Orloffs just went in there and laid eggs.
Gosh this thread is quiet.

 

[happyhens120]

Yes, one of my girls went broody this summer. She made an excellent mom! She hatched 7/8 of the eggs that I gave her, and was willing to brood the chicks that I hatched in the bator, too. I kept trying to shove one under her and she kept kicking it out of the nest... it was a bad egg. It amazes me that they know that!

I finally got my chicks (not Orloffs... just hatchery birds for eating eggs) so I'm one happy camper! I keep stalking the thread... love the pictures of all the beauties! Can't wait to add Orloffs back into my flock!

 

[Pozees]

My first year Orloffs were good layers, I thought. But my next generation has not been good. I am wondering if it has to do with the hatch date. My first ones were hatched 6/24. They laid well all last winter. The ones I hatched from them were hatched Jan-Feb. I just can't figure it out. Someone replied to my thread about the Orloff/Ameraucana crosses I did last year and said he was going to try crossing them to an Ohio Buckeye to increase size and eggs. I don't know chicken color genetics, so I don't know if that is a good idea or not.

Total lurker and no real experience (yet) breeding chickens, so I can't say I know anything about how color and type would be affected, but it seems to me that for size without losing type you would try Malay or Asil cross, heft with spangles Speckled Sussex, egg laying any of the Leghorns but probably red or black would be best, but they will decrease size. Just my speculations.

I'm beginning to wonder if EE/Araucana/Ameraucana don't like desert climate - everyone in Southern Colorado that has them says they are unreliable layers by and large, but those in more humid areas seem to have different experiences.

 

[RiddleMe]

My first year Orloffs were good layers, I thought. But my next generation has not been good. I am wondering if it has to do with the hatch date. My first ones were hatched 6/24. They laid well all last winter. The ones I hatched from them were hatched Jan-Feb. I just can't figure it out. Someone replied to my thread about the Orloff/Ameraucana crosses I did last year and said he was going to try crossing them to an Ohio Buckeye to increase size and eggs. I don't know chicken color genetics, so I don't know if that is a good idea or not.

Total lurker and no real experience (yet) breeding chickens, so I can't say I know anything about how color and type would be affected, but it seems to me that for size without losing type you would try Malay or Asil cross, heft with spangles Speckled Sussex, egg laying any of the Leghorns but probably red or black would be best, but they will decrease size.  Just my speculations.

I'm beginning to wonder if EE/Araucana/Ameraucana don't like desert climate - everyone in Southern Colorado that has them says they are unreliable layers by and large, but those in more humid areas seem to have different experiences.

I think it just depends on the bird, I'm in central OR which is high desert climate, and have 3 EE, my almost 2yr old lays large+ eggs 5-6 days a week, my two pullets just started laying this week, but I've gotten 5 eggs in 4 days from them. Actually wish my older girl wasn't so reliable, she only took a month off for molting and I'm afraid she will burn out soon.

 

[ashandvine]

My Ams are great in the warmer months. I get tons of blue eggs! If you are just after eggs your best bet is to go with a Leghorn or similar. Depends on your needs for eggs.

Crossing these birds with the sussex is part of what ruined them imo. Malay and Asil are options because of their history. Having seen these in person I might say that it would improve their overall type. I have here an Orloff hen who is a little older but she has a nice wide chest and is fairly upright. I have this new cock here and hope that I can raise some of their offspring. They each have small faults that it would be miraculous if they canceled out in each other (ha- right!) but they are the two best I have for size. Others here have better spangling but you have to start somewhere. MFB showed pics a while back of the birds he's bred up for better color. He didn't cross anything in. I think he's got the right idea. No quick fixes despite really really wanting them